Bad Buddie Paul McGowan desperate to put past mistakes behind him as he focuses on finishing the season on a high with St Mirren

THE former Celtic player has been doing community service after being arrested for assaulting two policemen and says a strong finish to the season and dodging relegation would make up for months of stress and worry.

McGowan received the full support of his club and wants to repay their faith (Image: PA Wire)

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ST MIRREN midfielder Paul McGowan will be glad to see the end of a difficult season on and off the park.

But he knows he has to help Saints get out of their predicament in the lower echelons of the Scottish Premiership before he can start looking up again.

McGowan's campaign started as badly as his team's. A week after an opening 3-0 defeat by Inverness, the former Celtic player was arrested for assaulting two policemen during a night out in his home town of Airdrie.

The prospect of jail hung over him until he was sentenced to 130 hours of unpaid work in January, when McGowan vowed to learn from his mistakes.

But the on-field worries have not cleared and Saints go into Saturday's home match with Hibernian just one point above the relegation play-off place.

The 26-year-old said of the season: "It's been up and down. I've had a lot of personal issues which have been well documented.

"I just want to put that behind me and focus on these last games. Obviously I will be glad to see the end of this season.

"Inconsistency has summed up our season. One week we can beat a team 3-0 and the next week we can get beat 3-0.

"We can't seem to get a run of performances going and it's frustrating, because if you look at our dressing room we have a real team in there and we have just not done enough this season to prove it.

"We can only repay the fans and the manager by getting out this position."

McGowan predicts a fraught finale to the season ahead of a match which could see Saints draw level on 34 points with their visitors.

"It's going to be nerve-racking," said McGowan, who has recovered from the hamstring strain that forced him off during St Mirren's win over Motherwell.

"All teams down there are in a precarious position. If we beat Hibs, they're back in it as well so it's going to be a massive couple of weeks and it's exciting for the league.

"It's frantic. One wee slack pass and the fans are on it, but we all need to stick together as a club and players and we will get through it."

St Mirren manager Danny Lennon expects to have a full squad for the Scottish Premiership game against Hibernian.

Goalkeeper Marian Kello has made good progress after missing several games with a groin injury.

Midfield playmaker Paul McGowan has recovered from the hamstring strain that forced him off against Motherwell two weeks ago.